bbishop

Jesse, Is that a thong on your head? Bill

John, So sorry to hear of your news. Best wishes to Sandy and yourself. Bill

Completely ambidextrous, which means pretty well randomly I do some things left handed and others right handed. So at cricket I bowled right handed but usually threw left handed. Presumably as a kid, the pencil was put in my right hand so I write that way and so the same thing with a cricket ball. My sinister handwriting is almost the same as my dextrous writing and I did prove to myself that I could bowl left handed, but didn't see any point in "grooving" an action. I also have no sense of left and right, so I'm no good at directions and, in the cadets, would be the only boy saluting left handed which was for some reason a complete no-no. Batting at cricket should be determined by the dominant eye: in my case this is the left one so I batted right handed. Not that that was an issue, I was one of nature's natural number elevens. Bill

Eight foot, eight foot 6 ! (Frozen) Bill

I really shouldn't use aquatic analogies, because I'm now without hot water or central heating. Quick post, because this is a room without any heat! And my plumber has broken his hand! Off to have a flannel bath and hair wash using saucepans. Half way through Christmas cards, but in a room with heat! Bill

Evening all, I was just setting off to visit TonyA (occasionally of this parish) when the lights went out. Fusebox ok but next door had power whilst mine was gone completely. Bit of a puzzle so I turned off all the sockets and rang the emergency number. Turned out fuses had blown in the transformer (and in the streets) taking out about a third of the area - but at random depending on which circuit one was on. So went shopping. On the way home, saw a couple of guys with "ELECTRICITY" hi-viz, with their heads down a manhole. I would find myself back on but they were still replacing other fuses. They were correct. Keep well all, Bill

Looking at the list of manufacturers in post 28, and the failure rate of North British and Metropolitan Vickers locomotives, to name but two, would 25 locos have been sufficient? Bill

Jerry, We have a 120 lever frame in the 'A' box at Southwark Bridge, plus three subsidiary frames dotted around the layout. You're welcome to visit the layout (in south east Hampshire) on a running day. Bill

Depends what you want to use it for. Abrading cricket balls - about an inch. Bill

Absolutely nothing anyone could have done. Bill

The best laid plans of mice and men ..... at the Diocesan office, I was reminded there was a trustee meeting tonight; I'd clean forgotten! So went to 4D and QVS, back to Borough High Street, and now to apologise to the ERG. Best wishes to all. Bill

Sorry guys, been remiss of late. Chris, well done! Andrew, what awful news. Off to do a loop round the City, visiting the Diocesan office, 4D and QVS, before the European Railway Group meeting in Croydon. Bill

I make up my own mix. About 90% oyster shell; this is sold as chicken grit and comes way overscale so needs a whizz in a redundant (*) coffee grinder. The colour can be determined at this stage by including a lump of coal. It needs a brief whizz, extraction of right sized product, then rewhizzing the remainder. The oyster shell doesn't glue very well, so I add 10% of granite ballast. Bill (*) use of redundant coffee grinder optional, but otherwise divorce proceedings definite.

Bushampton by Freddy Bush - a regular at Central Hall. Watching the Adams Jubilee sitting in the dock persuaded me into modelling the LSWR in O gauge. Bill

Yup, Dom has to haul his vehicle round some pretty sharp bends. Bill

So I went to Warley mainly to see LLS. Superb architectural modelling, superb track, superb stock. I waited until the crowds reduced mid afternoon, then spent two hours soaking in the atmosphere. One thought, I would describe LLS as a working diorama. Whilst there are probably two items of stock moving somewhere, they may take a while to reach my eyeball - in which case I can admire a building or the cutting wall. Warley cost me about £25, well worth it just for LLS. Bill

Evening all, Best wishes to all in distress. Early bed, early start as I went to the Reading Trade Show today. I travelled on the gentleman's railway - no problems until we were put behind a Windsor stopper from Staines to Barnes. Minimal use of tokens although I did buy a Christmas present for Jamie. Central heating boiler services tomorrow with hopefully a small leak resolved. Bill

There were a few tram - car incidents when they opened the Croydon Tramway. To quote one aggrieved driver "why didn't it swerve behind me?" Bill

Dave, The Odeon cinema was demolished in 1992 to make way for the roundabout. Bill

My craft teacher at school was a lovely man, who had been a Welch triallist before a bu99ered knee had finished his career. No pain, except to other schools' packs - we were taught a few little tricks. Bill

Yes, the copper can be caught between a duty of care for the individual and a duty of safety to the general public. One thing about the police force that worries me, is a tendency to dive in mob handed. The ambulance service response is controlled. If I'm told to stand down from a shout, then I do; if I didn't then I would be disciplined up to my services being dispensed with. Drummed into me. Hasn't stopped me attending some interesting shouts - but I don't carry protection gear so if a weapon appears I'm back in my car pronto. Bill

And Maria Theresa's present Brexit proposal would put foreign nurses below the immigration threshold so the situation would only get worse. Then if the case service cannot accept the patients, they cannot be released from the (remaining) ward, which means a bed isn't available to take patients from A&E, which means patients are cared for by ambulance staff in corridors, which means no ambulances out on the road. Keeps me busy. Bill

And also a significant proportion of 999 calls to the ambulance services are for mental health issues. Bill

Mark, my second iteration of Höchstädt has been invited to 2021. 32' of German Spur Null. Obviously cannot guarantee underwear extraction. Bill

Well, I spent about two hours looking at Liverpool, from three different positions. I regard it (and Sidmouth as well, for that matter) as a working diorama. Sidmouth is a BLT and using the correct track plan has restricted its operational potential. Lime Street is a large station (11 platforms, 4 sidings) but with a very restrictive station throat. Presumably not a very intensive service. Personally if I was going to undertake such a project, I wouldn't have chosen Lime Street. But someone did, and what a wonderful model. Bill